- Hardcover: 160 pages
- Publisher: Pocket Essentials (24 Nov 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1904048560
- ISBN-13: 978-1904048565
- Product Dimensions: 19 x 13 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
438,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #81 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Early Church
| |||||||||||||||
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Good, basic introduction to a fascinating religious belief." "--Fortean Times"
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Gnosticism - derived from the Greek word gnosis, to know - is the name given to various religious schools that proliferated in the first centuries after Christ and, at one time, it almost became the dominant form of Christianity. Yet, some Gnostic beliefs derive from the older Mystery traditions of Greece and Rome, and the various Gnostic schools came to be branded as heretical by the emerging Christian church. Indeed, although some Gnostic beliefs are close to mainstream Christianity Gnosticism also held that the world is imperfect as it was created by an evil god who was constantly at war with the true, good God; that Christ and Satan were brothers; that reincarnation exists; and that women were the equal of men As a result, the Gnostics held the Feminine Aspect of God - whom they addressed as Sophia, or Wisdom - in very high regard. They also stressed that we each have a spark of the Divine inside us which, when recognised and developed, will ultimately liberate us from the prison of the material world. Although largely stamped out by the Church by the sixth century, Gnosticism survived underground through groups, such as the Bogomils and the Cathars, and influenced the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the psychologist Carl Jung, the Existentialists, the New Age movement and writers as diverse as William Blake, W. B. Yeats, Albert Camus and Philip K. Dick. In this book, Sean Martin recounts the long and diverse history of Gnosticism, and argues for its continued relevance today.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A small book with a packed survey of the subject.,
By Basiledes (N. Wales) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Gnostics (Pocket Essentials) (Hardcover)
A good general introduction to an enormous subject which brings the Gnostic story right up to the present day and Philip K Dick and The Matrix, via Blake, Jung and Kafka. It contains all you need to know to recognise and appreciate how Gnosticism has become an all pervasive part of contemporary culture, and is at the heart of so many things even when so many people have never heard of it; ignorance of it among the educated classes is quite astonishing, be they atheists or believers. Both have very good reason to find out more, otherwise their position is untenable (see my review of the book 'Better Never To Have Been').
The two other excellent and deeper introductions to Christian Gnosticism are 'The Gnostic Gospels' by Elaine Pagels and 'The Gnostics' by Tobias Churton. Ultimately the one to aim for is the groundbreaking masterwork on the subject from 1958 which is Hans Jonas' 'The Gnostic Religion: the message of the alien God and the beginnings of Christianity'. But for the influence of Gnosticism on Western culture in general the book to read is 'Passion and Society' by Denis de Rougement, and almost all of Harold Bloom's critical work on the Romantic poets and their successors, and his 'Omens of Millennium: The Gnosis of Angels, Dream and Resurrection'. Sean Martin has also written another short book about Gnosticism called 'The Cathars'.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sean Martin vs. Elain Pagels,
By
This review is from: The Gnostics (Pocket Essentials) (Hardcover)
Sean martin's book is higly relevamnt and to be honest is not given the credit it deserves among the academic field. Comapred to Elain Pagels, Martins work is just relevant and thought provoking as Pagels and since Pagels is revvered by most on this field of sudy, so should Martin. I sincerly encourage anyone who is studying the gnostics or merely just researching them in your time to buy thisbook and read it. It has helped over the pasttwo years of my degree, which is B.A. Religiosu Studies and Theology.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
